d moved forward. The two
men ran side by side. When Nick at length spoke it was to reiterate his
fears.

"Ther' wa'n't no face showed," he said abruptly.

"No," replied Ralph. Then he added thoughtfully: "He hadn't no dogs,
neither."

"He was alone, seemly. Ther' wa'n't no camp outfit."

Ralph shook his head and brushed away the ice about his mouth with the
back of his beaver mitt.

There was a painful atmosphere of disquiet about the two men. Their
backward glances spoke far louder than words. Had their mission been in
the nature of their ordinary calling they would possibly have felt
nothing but curiosity, and their curiosity would have led them to
investigate further, but as it was, all their inclinations tended in the
opposite direction. "The Dread of the Wild" had come to them.

When they camped at midday things were no better. They had seen nothing
more to disturb them, but the thoughts of both had turned upon the
night, so long and drear, which was to come; and the "dread" grew
stronger.

After the noon meal Nick harnessed the dogs while Ralph stowed the
chattels. They were on a hillside overlooking a wide valley of unbroken
forest. All was ready for a start and Nick gave a wide, comprehensive
glance around. The magic word "Mush," which would send the dogs headlong
at their breast harness, hovered on his lips, but ere he gave it
utterance it changed into an ejaculation of horror.

"By Gar!" Then after a thrilling pause, "The Hood!"

Ralph, standing ready to break the sled out, turned.

"Hey!" he ejaculated; and horror was in his tone, too.

There, in the hazy distance, more than three miles away, was the dim
figure of the Hooded Man racing over the snow. His course lay on the far
side of the valley and he was to the rear of them.

Nick turned back to the dogs, the command "Mush!" rang out with biting
emphasis, and the dogs and men, as though both were animated by the same
overwhelming fear, raced down the virgin trail. Their pace was a
headlong flight.

Night came, and they camped in the open. The night was blacker, and
longer, more weary and shadowy than the first, by reason of the "dread"
which had now become the "Dread of the Hooded Man." Even thoughts of the
White Squaw took a secondary place in the minds of the brothers, for, at
every turn, they felt that their steps were dogged by that other strange
creature of the wild. When morning came they knew, without looking, that
somewhere, coldly s